The Flaming Maelstrom (Overhauled)
by justinr1995
Summary: After the Kyuubi attack, Naruto is adopted into the Uchiha Clan. After receiving an unexpcted gift from one Uchiha Shisui, Naruto begins his journey to become a shinobi worthy of the title Hokage. Rated M to be safe, for language and future events. More info inside...


**_AN: Hey guys, I've finally decided to get this story back into gear; this sudden inspiration to start the rewrite for my first story can all be attributed to a single review from one skg1991. I don't know what happened, but after reading his review, it just sparked something and I found myself once again behind the PC, getting into the rewrite. Back onto more important things though, if you read my previous version of this story, you'll know that my writing was not the greatest; it was my first story after all; but I feel I've come a long way since then. If any of you guys know the artist that created this wallpaper, please could you let me know? I'd really like to ask him personally whether I can use his work or not, and I just can't seem to find who made it :[  
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**_I'd like to point out that the first few chapters will seem very similar to my previous version; I've removed certain things, added other stuff, based on what reviews I received last time, so hopefully I get this story right this time :D This first chapter is a little long, and there are a couple small time-skips; I had a lot of stuff to rattle off, but if the long chapters bother you guys, please let me know so that I can shorten them accordingly. Also, please continue to point out any flaws in my story, any plot points that don't make sense; I'd like to make this story as enjoyable as possible for those reading it, so be sure to shoot me a review, a PM, the works... hell, even tweet me, my twitter account is on my profile =)_**

**_I'd also just like to point out that I am busy getting ready for my final exams at University, so this will be the only update for quite some time before I get back into the rest of the story (my exams end in November, so by quite some time I mean quite some time :D) I just had to get this out of my head and off my chest before my exams started, and also as a little test run to see if I'm doing this story right again :) Sorry for the long note by the way, this should be the longest of them unless I have anything else important to tell you guys.  
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**_Edited: 05/10/2014 - Fixed a few minor spelling errors as well as grammar, nothing major =)_**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: All characters of Naruto and things Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.<strong>

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><p>"Normal talking"<p>

'Normal thinking'

_**"Biju/Summon talking"**_

_**'Biju/Summon thinking'**_

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><p><em>Chapter 1: Setting the scene<em>

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><p><strong><em>(Two hours after Kyuubi attack - Inside Hokage Office)<em>**

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, sat idly in his Hokage chair behind the desk that was as old as the village itself, still dressed in his black ninja armour with his head-piece resting beside him. In his arms was a small child with blonde spiky hair, three whisker marks on each cheek and a vibrantly pulsating spiral mark upon his naval, sleeping soundly while bundled up in a small blanket on the Hokage's lap – this child was none other than one Uzumaki Naruto.

Sitting in the room across from Hiruzen was Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzo; the latter of which whom insisted on standing, walking stick held firmly within his clasped hands; the elders of Konohagakure no Sato, as well as Hiruzen's most trusted advisors.

The village had just been relatively secured after the devastation that was wrought by the Kyuubi, and they were in the process of discussing the aftermath of the attack on the village, and subsequently what had become of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

"It is most unfortunate that I must report the passing of our now-late Yondaime Hokage," Hiruzen uttered flatly. The lacklustre tone coupled with his grave expression displayed the true age of the Hokage, something which his unmatched prowess in battle usually belied. "Upon arriving at the scene of the battle," he began hoarsely, his face turning increasingly grim as he continued. "... I found Minato and Kushina's bodies lying lifeless on the ground alongside a sealing altar, with their son, Naruto-kun, lying in Kushina's arms..."

He raised the slumbering bundle cradled in his arms for the rest to see, slowly removing the greying blanket to reveal the boy's stomach and the pulsating Eight Trigrams Seal adorning it. Looking on at the boy in his arms sadly, he could only imagine how difficult it must have been for Minato to turn his own son into a jinchuuriki. After knowing the man for many years, he had known all too well how Minato felt towards the concept of jinchuuriki, and their treatment or lack thereof.

"What is to become of the boy Hiruzen?" Homura asked. It was the question that was on all the attending elder's minds at the moment, one that they were hoping to have answered by the end of their discussion.

"I think it would be most beneficial if I took him under my wing to train as a weapon of this village," stated Danzo quickly, trying to snatch at the opportunity to get a hold of a new source of power. The cogs in his devious mind were spinning with plans for the future, leaning in the direction of protecting the village from within the shadows, but also in the direction of hopefully finally being able to realise his dream and become the Hokage. "He will become quite powerful under my personal tutelage; I can assure you of that Hiruzen."

"I'm afraid to say that that will not be necessary Danzo, as it is stated in Minato's will what is to become of his son and who his next of kin will be," said the Sandaime matter-of-factly, inwardly smirking at stopping Danzo's attempt to turn Naruto into one of his emotionless drones. Hiruzen had always had two minds about Danzo's personal Anbu forces, but as much as he despised them, they were a necessary evil to keep the peace from within the shadows. They were true shinobi in every sense of the word, and Hiruzen respected them for that. That didn't mean he had to like them though.

Danzo's face visibly twitched into a scowl, but he hid it well from the others in the room. He knew he could do nothing against the will of the boy's father, and he would have to drop the idea of his 'perfect weapon'. 'Such a shame too... the possibilities of having been able to train not only the Kyuubi jinchuuriki but the Yondaime's legacy as well... he could've done great things...'

"Just leave the carrying-out of Minato's will to me," the Hokage stated with a little more life than he was exuding before, once more looking down at Naruto, smiling warmly at the gurgling baby. As sad as he was at the outcome of the night, the baby in his arms did plenty to sway those feelings, and he stroked the blonde's locks fondly.

"Back to the matter of Naruto-kun..." began the aged Hokage, turning his once-again-steeled face in the direction of his advisors. "Firstly, the identities of his parents are, as of now, an S-class secret, and will only be revealed to Naruto when the time is right, as stated in the will. This will be for his protection, as we all know that Minato had amassed quite the number of enemies during his shinobi career, and they would certainly come after Naruto-kun here if they found out who his father was."

He allowed some time for the elders to take in the information before continuing. "Secondly, the knowledge of Naruto's status as the Kyuubi jinchuuriki will be revealed to the rest of the village, as it was Minato's hope that Naruto would be seen as hero among Konoha for being the jailor of the Kyuubi and keeping it at bay after the destruction that it caused."

The two Konoha elders nodded at this, although they couldn't help but feel that revealing his status to the village was rather unwise. They could not however deny the dying wish of their former Hokage. "That would be for the best," Koharu decided to speak up, agreeing with the decision, "It will give the boy a chance at living a normal life as he grows up by being seen as a hero instead of the demon incarnate."

"Exactly," Hiruzen agreed with a small smile, clicking his fingers at his former teammate. "That is what Minato and Kushina would have wanted for their son here. Now," he continued evenly, his tone serious once again. "... back to the matter of my reinstatement as Hokage..."

**_(Some time later – streets of Konohagakure)_**

Hiruzen was slowly walking through the streets of Konoha, calmly but with purpose as he held the small baby Naruto tightly in his arms. He was on his way to meet with the family who Minato and Kushina had decided was to be his next of kin, in order to allow their child to grow up with a chance at having a normal life, with a family that could give him the love that every child needed.

Looking around though, he couldn't help but frown at the destruction that was clearly visible on many of the buildings within the village. Columns of smoke clouds were rising up from every couple of buildings he passed, and the smell of burning wood permeating through the evening air constantly filled his nostrils.

The destruction wrought by the Kyuubi was unforgivable, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd somehow failed in protecting his people and the village that his predecessors had built from the ground up. The people of the village looked to him in times like these, and he had allowed so much death and destruction to take place. He let out a heavy sigh and quickened his pace, putting those ideas out of his mind. He couldn't dwindle on thoughts of the past. 'What's done is done', he thought resolutely, steeling himself to the fact that what didn't kill them would only make them stronger for it in the future. With that thought quelled, he continued on towards his destination.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

After a couple moments of waiting, sounds of locks being undone and a key being turned alerted the Hokage that the family was indeed home. The door opened to reveal a fair-skinned woman of about 22 years of age, with long black hair and bangs hanging on either side of her face, which roughly shaped and framed her cheeks and black eyes. She was a wearing a brown blouse and a dark purple skirt with an apron over her entire body.

"Hokage-sama? To what do I owe this visit? My husband is out at the moment in a meeting with the clan elders," she explained politely, somewhat startled at having the village's Sandaime Hokage show up at her door. She was still pretty shaken up from the earlier attack, so to say she was surprised was an understatement.

"Good evening Mikoto-san, may I come in? I have a few things I would like to discuss with you, if that is all right?" he asked Uchiha Mikoto gently, waiting for her response. He could see she was a little rattled, so he resigned himself to be patient with the woman. He was nothing if not considerate.

"Of course Hokage-sama. Please, do come in," she gestured with her free hand to the inside of her home, pasting a warm smile on her face.

"Thank you Mikoto-san." He offered her a warm smile and strolled passed her towards the living room area. Once they were both in the living room, she offered him a seat as well as some tea, which he accepted and declined respectively in that order. It was only then that she noticed the bundle in his arms, and that said bundle was slowly rising and descending at a steady rhythym, soft breaths being released from the inside of the blanket.

Noticing where she was staring, Hiruzen decided to get straight to the topic of this visit. No sense in beating around the bush after all. "Mikoto-san, as I understand it, you were the best friend of Kushina-chan, were you not?"

'Were,' she thought immediately, frowning in confusion before widening her eyes in shock, seemingly figuring out the tragic news before it was even revealed. She didn't want to jump to such tragic conclusions however, and just frantically nodded to the aged Hokage seated opposite her, silently prompting him to carry on.

The Hokage's face saddened somewhat and she immediately noticed this, confirming her previous dire suspicions, hot tears beginning to prickle at the backs of her eyes. "During the attack of the Kyuubi, in a series of unfortunate events, Kushina has... she has passed on, along with her husband."

Being Kushina's best friend, she was one of the few people who knew of Kushina and Minato's relationship, as well as Kushina's pregnancy, and they had more often than not chatted about their sons becoming best friends when they got older.

The tears now began to fall freely from her eyes as she thought back to the past times and memories that they had shared together and, despite her best attempts, she was unable to hold back her tears in front of the Sandaime Hokage.

He gave her a few minutes to get everything out, as well as let everything else settle in, still cradling the living bundle in his arms, rocking baby Naruto back and forth soothingly. "As you know..." he softly continued to explain, "Kushina was pregnant, and just before the Kyuubi attack she gave birth to her only son."

He looked down at the bundle in his arms and proceeded to lift the cover off the baby's face, revealing the whiskered blonde child within. "I'm afraid that the terrible news is not over yet," he said gravely, his gaze softening while staring at baby Naruto, his bright blue eyes reminding him so much of Minato.

"I won't go into too many details, but due to the nature of the biju's being masses of chakra with a consciousness, they cannot be physically defeated, and therefore have to be sealed away." Allowing this information to sink in, he continued softly. "It could not be sealed into an object, as it would not be strong enough to contain the strongest of the biju. The same thing could be said of an adult, as an adult's chakra coils are already developed, therefore not being able to handle the potency and capacity of a biju's chakra being forced into their own; unless of course you happen to be an Uzumaki like Mito-sama, but that is neither here nor there. For the sealing to be effective, it has to be sealed into a new born baby..."

After hearing the Hokage say that, indirectly revealing that her one-and-truly best-friend's only child had been turned into a jinchuuriki, she started to cry even harder, fighting with her best efforts to bite back more sobs that were escaping her mouth, trying to hold some form dignity in front of the village's Sandaime Hokage, but failing miserably.

The Hokage was saddened by her tears, and his own heart wept a little more as he thought back to their deaths. But it also let him know that Mikoto truly did care for Kushina and her family, and he was positive that he would accomplish his goal for the night.

"I have come here tonight in the hopes that, because of your relationship with Kushina-chan, as well as their will stating you as the next of kin, you would hopefully be willing to take this child in as your own, so that he may have a chance at living a normal life and having a family – a mother and a father that I know will love him deeply. There is no telling how the village will treat him after they learn of his status, and I'd hate to think how he would be treated if we had to send him to the orphanage."

"Y-You're going to... t-to tell them he's a jinchuuriki?!" She was completely against the idea. No, that didn't even come close to how she felt about such a thing happening. The people of the village would only see him as nothing but the demon that was sealed within him. Did the Hokage really think that they'd see him as a hero?! The entire village had just been through a severe ordeal in the form of an attack from a biju, and regardless of what they were told, they would want to direct their hatred at something for the family and friends that were killed by the Kyuubi, and that 'something' was without a doubt going to be Naruto, that she was more than sure of.

Hiruzen's gaze drifted to the small boy's cerulean eyes, and he smiled sombrely, stroking the boy's blonde locks once again. "It was Minato's final wish that Naruto would be seen as a hero for what he has become, and for the burden he now bears. I cannot in good conscience deny his last wish Mikoto-san... you must understand."

She took a few minutes to slightly calm herself down, nodding reluctantly before attempting to speak up in between her sobs."Can I... can I hold him?" she asked with great difficulty, looking down sadly at the new-born infant lying in the blanket. He really did look like a chibi Minato. Smiling softly, the Hokage nodded and proceeded to gently hand the baby over to the silently sobbing woman on the couch opposite him, tears still flowing freely down her face.

Holding the baby in her arms, she couldn't help but just stare at the small boy while gently swaying him from side to side, his azure blue eyes sparkling in the light of the room. She sat in silent contemplation about what she had just been asked, the thought running through her mind over and over again. This particular topic had only come up once with her best friend Kushina, and she had immediately ended that line of conversation, telling her friend not to think about such things. She had been made to promise though, and she had already thought about the possibility of this happening. She didn't know back then if she would've been able to do it, the thought of Kushina dying just being too alien for her, although now that the baby was held safely within her arms, as well as hearing the possible life her best friend's son would most likely be having without parents, she had already silently made her decision.

"Kushina-chan..." she softly whispered, still looking contemplatively down at the blonde boy. "... you truly were my best and most dear friend..." She was speaking to herself by this point, but it was more than loud enough for Hiruzen to hear, and he listened on silently from the side. "In honour of your memory and the bond that we had... I give you my word that I will love... and cherish this boy as my own son... and that I will lay my life down on the line for him without second thought. You have my word Kushina-chan ..." One last tear fell from her eye, softly landing on the spot just between Naruto's eyes, causing the boy to wrinkle his nose annoyingly.

Hiruzen's face brightened at the declaration, and he smiled that famed Hokage smile of his. "His name is Naruto... Uzumaki Naruto."

"... No," she said softly, a warmer tone filling her voice as she shook her head slowly, wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hand. "His name is Uchiha... Uzumaki Naruto." Seeing the warm smile on her face, Naruto slowly raised his hand up at the woman, gurgling and giggling unintelligibly, prompting Mikoto to smile back at his cute face and let out a few giggles of her own.

Seeing this small interaction lifted a portion of the burden off of Hiruzen's shoulders, and he could see that his good friend and successor's son would live with a family that he knew would take great care of him as one of their own, and that he would grow up to become a fine shinobi, just like his father was. He couldn't help but smile brightly at the sight of Mikoto holding Naruto in her arms protectively. It warmed his heart-...

"Good evening Hokage-sama. Is everything all right?"

The Hokage and Mikoto looked up to see Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi (who had just woken up), walking into the living room, both sporting curious looks on their faces. "Ah Fugaku-san. Good evening. Good evening to you too Itachi-kun," the Hokage offered warmly, sending a small smile at the little boy.

Both bowed respectfully before Mikoto decided to speak up, clearing her throat to get the attention of all the room's occupants. "Fugaku-kun, during the attack of the Kyuubi, Kushina was... she was... she's fallen in battle. But before that, she had just given birth to her only son, Naruto-kun here. The Hokage came here to tell us that we are the next of kin in Kushina's will, and to offer for us to take in this child and care for him as his family."

She rattled all the facts off one by one, bombarding her husband with as much as she could, as quickly as she could. He knew Kushina rather well too, as well as being a good friend of Minato, and he would often be at home with his wife when Kushina came over, so he got to know her quite well. Not to mention the fact that she was a very respected Kunoichi in the village.

With a burning fire in her eyes and her motherly instincts taking over, she continued on with a fierce determination. "I have already decided that in memory of Kushina and her sacrifice, and our friendship that we had, we will be taking Naruto-kun in, and he is going to become a part of this family, as Uchiha Uzumaki Naruto."

Not remembering the last time he saw his wife with such a fire in her eyes, but clearly remembering what happened when he disagreed with her in this state the last time, he just nodded quickly, taking a small almost-unnoticeable step back. In all honesty, he wasn't entirely against the idea of taking in Kushina's son. He knew Kushina well through his wife, so he felt a certain obligation to help both her and Minato out. Not that he would let it publicly be known that he was rather quite accepting of taking Naruto in as his son; he was far too proud.

"Well Itachi-kun, looks like you are going to have another brother to look after now," the Hokage stated fondly while ruffling said boy's hair, prompting the small Uchiha boy to smile back at the Hokage at the prospect.

"I've always wanted a younger brother," Itachi started to say, looking fondly at the boy in his mother's arms. "... and now I'm going to have two of them. It's going be my job to protect them and make sure they stay safe."

Once again, the Hokage couldn't help but smile again, feeling as if he'd made the correct decision here. "Well, it's getting rather late, and I would hate to keep you up any longer Uchiha-san. I now entrust Naruto's care to you, and I will be checking in regularly to see how he is doing from time to time; not just as my duty as Hokage, but rather, I would like to personally get to know the boy as well."

"Of course Hokage-sama. You are welcome to come check in whenever you feel the need," Fugaku stated respectfully again, pasting a smile on his usually stoic-looking face. It wasn't that he didn't want to allow the Hokage in the boy's life; he just didn't want to give the man free reign to pop in and out of his clan's compound whenever he felt like it. There was a reason for the wall after all.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, getting up and making his way to the door where Itachi was waiting to let him out. "As there big brother, it is now your job to look after them and protect them from danger Itachi-kun... do you think you can accomplish this mission?"

Itachi nodded frantically and immediately straightened up, his features becoming incredibly serious as the Hokage spoke to him. "Of course Hokage-sama! I won't let you down. I will protect them to the best of my abilities," he reassured with a low bow.

Chuckling at the odd mixture of enthusiasm and seriousness from the young boy, he ruffled the small five-year-olds hair and exited their home, continuing on his way back to the Hokage Residence where he could finally get a small amount of rest.

Once Hiruzen had left the Uchiha residence, Fugaku turned to his wife before looking down at the baby, then back up at his wife. "Mikoto-chan, how could you make a decision like this without even checking with me beforehand?" asked a bewildered Fugaku, finally mustering up the courage to confront his wife about the situation.

"There was no question whether we would adopt Naruto-kun if Kushina one day died; we had discussed this a couple times, and unfortunately she... she has, and so help me we are going to take care of and raise this boy as if he was our own son!" Mikoto answered firmly. There was no questioning the steel in her voice, and Fugaku found himself taking an unconscious step backwards once again. "You always said you wanted another son Fugaku, and here Kami has given us one; albeit under unfortunate circumstances. Please Fugaku-kun..."

"I understand how important this is for you," he tried to reason, glancing over at Naruto who was still wrapped in his blanket, sleeping soundly in Mikoto's arms. He let out a soft sigh before grabbing the small baby's palm with his own. "He is a rather cute one though, isn't he," he said softly as a statement rather than a question, revealing the side of him that he only ever revealed to his wife.

Eyes widening, Mikoto let the tears she had been holding back fall once again, however these tears fell out of happiness rather than sadness. She held onto Naruto just a little bit tighter, her lips curling into a big smile as she placed a kiss on her husband's lips."Thank you... Fugaku-kun..."

"Don't thank me Mikoto-chan. He is our son now, and if you're happy, then I'm happy," he replied with the sincerest of smiles, fondly looking between his wife and his new son.

Looking back down at the boy tightly wrapped in her arms, Mikoto couldn't help but let a few more tears escape. 'Rest in peace Kushina... I will take care of Naruto-kun, give him a family and protect him with my life... you have my word. So please... rest in peace.'

"Kaasan, could I please hold him?"

Mikoto and Fugaku both jumped in surprise, having momentarily forgotten that Itachi was still in the room. After regaining her composure, she turned around to face him, giving him the smallest of smile. She was suddenly very tired, and all the events of the days were finally catching up to her. "Sorry Itachi-kun, tomorrow morning rather, but right now, he needs to be put into bed, and you need to go to sleep now as well," she said sweetly, smiling warmly at her eldest son. "Not to mention I need to get to bed as well."

"Okay Kaasan. Goodnight then." Looking down at the little boy in his mother's arms, he reached down and held onto one of his little hands, whispering softly as he leaned a bit closer with a thin smile. "Goodnight Naruto-kun." Seeing her eldest son warm up to her newest one, she couldn't help but smile, thinking about what the future would hold for them.

**_(One and a half years later...)_**

It was early morning as the first rays of sunlight began to shine through the thin slits of Naruto and Sasuke's bedroom blinds, while a light breeze of cool morning air rocked the same curtains back and forth. Thin lines of dust particles could clearly be seen in each of the rays as Naruto slowly opened his eyes from the cot he was sleeping in.

The first thing his eyes spotted upon opening was the slow turning mobile hanging from the roof just above his cot. It was decorated with different types of birds, ranging from swallows, humming birds, eagles and hawks; as they all continued to twirl around in a 360 degree rotation.

Letting out a soft yawn, he haphazardly threw off the small blanket covering his body as he rocked himself onto his stomach, slowly crawling to the edge of his cot and setting himself beside the bars. He grabbed the bars of his cot and slowly but surely managed to pull himself into a standing position, resting with his arms draped over the barrier around his bed.

He turned his head from side to side slowly, taking in the area all around him. This was what he had come to know as his room. He noticed that the other bundle that usually slept in the cot across from him was beginning to move. He giggled gleefully and banged his hands against his cot's barrier excitedly in an attempt to wake the bundle up, but all he got for his attempts was the sound of crying.

It wasn't long before Mikoto found herself standing in the doorway to the two small boys' room, once again seeing Naruto waking up Sasuke by banging his cot. She slowly walked in, dragging her feet along the floor as she rubbed the remaining sleep out of her jet black eyes and yawned exhaustedly.

Naruto noticed the other person in the room and turned his head in her direction, his eyes lighting up as he raised his hands into the air and began clenching and unclenching his fists at her, wordlessly asking her to pick him up and take him out. After recently learning how to crawl, Naruto wouldn't stay still for more than five minutes and was usually always on the move, putting his massive energy reserves to good use. Kami help them all once he learned how to walk.

Mikoto moved to the side of Naruto's cot as she picked him up and gave him a kiss on the forehead, smiling amusedly as he giggled while stuffing his hand into his mouth, making him look even more adorable than usual. She quickly put his fidgeting body on the floor and watched as he crawled out of the room with tremendous speed. It was quite the spectacle seeing a little 18 month old baby dragging their body around as fast as Naruto did. As soon as he made it out the bedroom door, he turned left and made his way towards the other bedrooms in the house.

Mikoto turned her head back down in front of her as she softly picked up Sasuke's crying and sobbing form and held him against her chest, rocking him from side to side as she tried to calm him down. After two minutes of rocking, he had finally calmed down enough to allow himself to be carried, so she turned around to leave the room.

As she got into the hall however, she heard the uncontrollable laughter of her eldest son, Itachi, and quickly moved on to his bedroom to see what all the commotion was about. Outside his half opened door she found the small laundry box from the bathroom lined up just in front of the door handle, signifying Naruto had used the extra height to open Itachi's door.

Moving the door open fully, she giggled softly with a warm smile on her face as she found Itachi lying in his bed with an unexpected visitor. Under his blankets, a small protruding figure was located at the lower end of his bed, moving around slowly from side to side. Itachi's body was convulsing in laughter as the small bundle located at the bottom of his bed continued to tickle his feet with reckless abandon. "N-no N-N-Naruto-kun... hahaha... s-stop t-tick-... hahaha... t-tickling me..."

Seeing that all was indeed well and that there was nothing to worry about, Mikoto decided to leave them be for the time being while taking Sasuke to the kitchen to feed him in his high chair. He was starting to get agitated, a sign for Mikoto that he wanted food. She put him in the chair and listened from inside the grocery cupboard as he gurgled loudly while clapping his hands slowly. "Kaachan... food... food."

While in the cupboard, she heard more footsteps making their way into the kitchen and came out to find Itachi walking in with a happily laughing Naruto riding his back. "Niisan... Niisan," he let out between laughs as Itachi bounced up and down on his feet, causing Naruto to bounce around on his back as well.

Mikoto gasped as she heard her youngest son utter his first words, while Itachi grinned knowingly. He had spent quite a few days trying to get Naruto to say those words, and it seemed that his patience had finally paid off. Sasuke, being slightly older than Naruto, had already said his first words, his being 'Kaachan', so Itachi decided to steal Naruto's first words and make sure to teach him exactly what he wanted him to say.

"Naru-chan ... your first words!" she squealed in delight as she ran to Itachi and took Naruto off his back. She lifted him high up into the air and twirled him around as she spun on the balls of her feet, getting him to laugh and gurgle uncontrollably.

Seeing that saying that word seemed to make his mother happy, Naruto continued to say it in between his loud laughs and giggles. "Niisan... Niisan... Niisan..."

They played around for a bit before Naruto's stomach started to growl, prompting his facial expression to immediately change from overjoyed to distraught. His bottom lip curled over his upper lip and his eyes suddenly became a little bigger, the cerulean blue of his eyes seeming to magnify in colour. Mikoto cooed at his expression and had to hold back a loud squeal of joy. "You are too cute Naru-chan!"

She reluctantly placed him next to Sasuke in his high chair and continued to mash some banana in a bowl for each baby. "Kaachan," cried Sasuke as he slowly started banging against his chair, his hungry stomach starting to get the better of him. As much as Mikoto loved her sons, when it was this early in the morning and they were hungry, they were more trouble than normal. They would be laughing bundles of joy the one second, and then rowdy terrorists the next. She never experienced that kind of behaviour with Itachi.

"Okay Naru-chan, Sasu-chan; here is your food," she said as she placed the plastic bowls of mashed banana on their high chairs. "Now make sure to eat all of your food," Mikoto said sternly as she looked at Naruto in particular. "Fruits are very good for you so make sure not to spill any of it."

Naruto sank lower in his chair and seemed to understand her perfectly as he slowly ate the mashed banana with a permanent scowl on his face, a scowl that would put most other Uchiha to shame. He hated fruits. Not that he knew what they were and what they were called, or even what hate was; he just knew that he hated the taste of this type of food.

She giggled softly at Naruto's expression, but realised her mistake too little too late. Naruto took the giggling as a sign that it was time to play again, so he knocked his plate off of the high chair and began banging on it again while giggling and shouting out his first word. "Niisan... Niisan..." Mikoto sighed into her hands as she cleaned up the mess Naruto made before she let him out the high chair and deposited him on the ground, hoping to rid him of some of that pent up energy he always had.

Naruto sped off along the ground and soon enough found himself in front of the front door. Itachi had just left for the Academy and in his haste, had forgotten to close the front door properly. Naruto inched closer and closer to the door, his heart beat picking up as he edged his way closer to the unknown territory he'd never had the chance to explore yet.

He poked his head through the tiny gap and peered left and right, before squeezing the rest of his small body through as well and crawling out into the main path. He had never been this far out before and he was taking in all the elements of this new area he had discovered, revelling in the feeling of the entirety of the morning breeze hitting him fully...

"And what are you doing out here little man," spoke a young voice from behind Naruto. Naruto turned around as fast as his little body would allow and looked up at the young boy that was towering over him, before said boy leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees as he bent down to look at Naruto.

"Niisan?" said Naruto as he eyed the older boy curiously. This was a face he had seen before, he thought, but he just couldn't place him, so he was taking in all of his features as best as he could, his developing mind doing its best to burn the images into his psyche.

The older boy chuckled slightly at the baby's befuddled visage, pure confusion and curiosity etched clear as day all over his face. "No, not Nii-san. My name is Shisui. Can you say Shisui?" he asked cheerfully as he smiled at the small blonde boy. He was so cute and adorable, looking at him with that confused expression. He had to hold back his full blown laughter in fear of making the baby cry.

Naruto scrunched his face up in immense concentration as he struggled to form the correct sounds, his tongue slipping out in between his lips midway. "Sh... Shi... Shui," said Naruto finally as he held his hands out in his 'I want to go up' gesture. Shisui was more than happy to comply as he picked Naruto up and placed him on his back softly. He started walking back to Itachi's house, needing to quickly drop off Itachi's brother before hurrying to the Academy. He was going to be late to the Academy for sure if he didn't leave now.

He made it to their house with a lot more time to spare than he originally expected. 'Huh. Must've been a lot closer than I thought.' It seemed that Naruto couldn't get too far away with those small little legs of his. Thank Kami for that though. The kid was trouble enough. Shisui spoke from experience, after having spent so much time visiting his best friend's house. Whenever he went there, Naruto was always getting himself into some sort of mischief, although he could never remember Shisui.

He thought back to the time when Naruto and Sasuke had first learned to crawl. Naruto would lead Sasuke to the grocery cupboard and start showing him all the different bags of food and baking supplies in there. Due to Naruto's sneaky and prankster-type nature that he inherited from his birth mother, he wouldn't touch any of the supplies... he would just sit back and watch as Sasuke pulled down bag after bag of cooking supplies and food, littering the floor all around them with cake flour, rice grains, potatoes; and the list just went on. It was around those times where Naruto would quickly leave and let his brother take the fall for these transgressions.

Shisui and Itachi would happily sit back and watch it all unfold, opting to rather take in the pleasures of his little brothers' mischievous actions than to try and stop him. He was just too much fun.

Shisui moved to the front door of Itachi's house and knocked on the door, the two large pieces of oak immediately flying open as a distressed Mikoto still clad in her sleep wear stood their panting heavily. "Uh, good morning Mikoto-san. I found something on my way to the Academy this morning that I think you might be looking for," he said somewhat amusedly to her. It seemed that Naruto's absence was not lost on his mother. Naruto just had this ability to cause people extreme levels of unwanted stress and early signs of grey hair.

Shisui turned slightly to the side to reveal Naruto's blue-clad form riding on Shisui's back with a foxy grin on his face. "Niisan!" he cried happily, clapping his hands excitedly, giggling once again.

Mikoto immediately breathed a huge sigh of relief as she moved to Shisui's side and took Naruto off his back. "Thank you so much Shisui-kun. We were looking everywhere for him. I took my eyes off him for more than a second and he just up and disappeared." Naruto had really worried her this time, as he was usually somewhere in the house. He had never once made it out of the doors and onto the streets alone.

Shisui laughed good-naturedly as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "It was no trouble Mikoto-san. I found him on my way to the Academy. Which reminds me, I must be going before I'm late," he said urgently as he began walking away while waving to mother and son. "I'll see you later Mikoto-san. And you too Naruto-kun." He took off at a run after waving good bye and left the two standing out front.

"I swear Naru-chan, you're going to give me heart failure one of these days ..." she said softly as she looked over his form for any possible injuries. Seeing that he was relatively fine, she smirked at him before tickling him on his stomach and twirling him around high in the air as she moved back into the house. "... so I'll just have to have all the fun with you that I can before that day comes, won't I?"

**_(Three and a half years later...)_**

It was early in the morning when Naruto's eyes slowly began to flutter open after a long night's rest. He and Sasuke had begun starting to train the day before, their dad and Itachi deciding that it was time to start some physical conditioning so that they could start to learn the Uchiha taijutsu style. The physical conditioning had been extremely taxing on their small bodies, still unused to such strenuous exercises.

Naruto clenched his fists together as well as his toes, and stretched his body out as far as he could, the silent room filling up with the sounds of popping joints and creaking bones. 'Ugh, Itachi-niisan and Tousan were so rough yesterday. My whole body is in pain...' he groaned in his thoughts. 'It's gonna be a while before I get used to training like this.'

He slowly sat up, doing his best not to hurt himself with the arduous process, and stayed like that for a while. 'Wait...' He could've sworn that it was all just in his mind, but the longer he was just sitting there against his headboard, the pain racking his body seemed to be slowly subsiding. 'I can actually move my legs!' He thought gleefully, kicking them up and down to confirm his thoughts.

He waited a little longer before he could finally move his entire body again without feeling any of the after effects he had from yesterday. It was as if he was never that sore to begin with. Before he could continue thinking on his previously sore body, an absolutely exquisite aroma met his sensitive nose, and his head snapped to the trail of the smell, his eyes closing in delight as he became entranced by the magical tang permeating the air around his room.

He slowly got out of his bed, his eyes half lidded as he allowed this magnificent smell to lead him to its source, forgetting everything else important and losing all coherent thoughts that he once possessed. He opened his door and immediately felt the smell intensify, taking a swift right and heading towards the kitchen.

He turned the corner of the passage and found himself at the entrance to the kitchen, the heavenly smell seeming to stop here, much to his dismay. He was brought out of his daze by soft giggling, prompting him to crack and eye open and spot his mother sitting at the kitchen table with her hand held firmly on the lid of the bowl of food she had made for her son that morning. His brothers were all sitting around the table with happy smiles on their faces, and his Tousan was sitting at the head of the table, looking as stoic as ever, although Naruto could tell he was a little more lively than usual, his ever present 'scowl-wrinkles', as he liked to call them, nowhere to be seen on his face.

He scrunched his face up into one of confusion for several moments, eliciting yet another giggle from his mother and several snickers from his older brothers. Not knowing for the life of Kami what was going on, he slowly strode forward and sat down at the table, his eyes darting about suspiciously. "What's going on?" he asked hesitantly, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer. It was scary seeing his family act like this. They all knew something he didn't, or so he thought...

Mikoto once again couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips as she looked at her youngest son with a tender expression. "I can't believe you've forgotten again, Naruto-kun," she mocked in a motherly tone, the amusement in her voice ever present.

He looked at her incredulously and kicked his still waking up brain into overdrive, searching his memory banks for the cause for today's sudden turn of events. 'Itachi didn't become a chunin, did he? No, Tousan would have actually been smiling if that happened. Is it the Uchiha Annual Fireworks Festival? No, they would have started decorating up around the compound days ago already... hmm.'

He tapped his chin in deep thought as he continued to search for something that would lead today to being special. The rest of his family continued to watch on in amusement as Naruto simply couldn't find what he was looking for. Naruto sighed in frustration as he threw his hands into the air. "I give up! I have no idea what day today is," he finally said, looking back towards the bowl that his mother was still covering to keep the contents warm. He just hoped it wasn't something too important...

His mother looked at him affectionately, watching as he tried and failed to realise the importance of today. "Happy Birthday Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed happily as she got up from her chair and wrapped him in a tight motherly hug, the kind of hug that took all the breath right out of you, but made you feel safe and sound and no less comfortable all at the same time.

His eyes widened in pleasant surprise as he realised that it was indeed his birthday, mentally slapping and berating himself for forgetting something so simple. It was his birthday after all. Nevertheless, he returned his mother's hug with gusto and smiled genuinely at the rest of his family.

Looking over his mother's shoulders while still in the hug, he watched as Sasuke gave him a warm smile with a nod. He turned his head left and Itachi gave him a fond smile as well, opting to rather mouth the words 'Happy Birthday' to his youngest blonde brother. What happened next though Naruto could never have expected.

Moving his gaze to the opposite end of the table, Naruto's eyes widened in joy as he watched his father's mouth uncharacteristically twist up into a fond smile; a smile that Naruto had never had the pleasure of seeing before. "Happy birthday Naruto. You have grown into a fine boy, and I'm proud to have been able to call you my son," he said in his deep voice, the pride evident in his words.

Mikoto suddenly felt Naruto's grip on her tighten, before she heard a small sob come from her son. She quickly pulled him away to see what was wrong, but her worry was unnecessary as she saw the happy smile he had on his face, prompting her to pull him into another hug. "T-thank you..." Naruto said softly, once again squeezing his mother slightly tighter than he had before.

He knew that he was not an Uchiha by blood, and that he was adopted into this family. It wasn't all too long ago that he had found out, but he knew for a fact that he stood out like a sore thumb amongst the Uchiha's, so it wasn't all that much of a shock. It seemed that shocking blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes were not all that common where he lived. Go figure.

In truth, he was really grateful for being adopted, giving him a family that he could call his own. The only thing he knew of his birth parents were that they loved him very much, but being Shinobi, were killed in the Kyuubi attack.

"You're so very welcome Naruto-kun," Mikoto replied softly, rubbing his back soothingly. She pushed him back again and gave him a reassuring smile before moving back towards her own seat and sitting down. Naruto wiped the stray tears from his eyes with his pyjama sleeves before moving back around and getting reacquainted with his chair. Mikoto slowly pushed the covered bowl of food in front of Naruto and gestured her head down. "Before anything else though, eat your breakfast before it gets cold. We got you something special..." she added with an amused smirk.

Naruto's eyes widened to astronomic proportions as he slowly, almost mechanically reclined his head to the lidded bowl in front of him. "Could it..." he muttered disbelievingly, slowly moving his hand to reach for the lid. "... could it be that you..." His hand slowly began to lift the lid, and he tilted his head to the side as he tried to peer into the darkness of his bowl, a thin line of steam escaping its confines. "... could it **_really_** be-..."

"Oh for **_Kami's_** sake, just lift the lid already!" All heads turned to the source of the outburst; a panting Fugaku who was now standing with his hands placed firmly on the table, leaning forwards with wide eyes focused on the blonde on the other end of the table. Blinking once, then twice, he quickly dropped back into his seat and cleared his throat, turning his head slightly away to hide the red tinge his cheeks now sported.

Naruto had a deer-in-the-headlights expression as he watched his father drop back down to his seat, before he too slipped off the edge of his seat, holding his sides as he rolled along the floor in uncontrollable laughter, soon being joined in by the rest of his family. It was a very uncharacteristic breakfast for a typical Uchiha family, but they were not a typical Uchiha family. Being the adoptive family of an Uzumaki, who were known for their over abundance of energy, as well as their loud and boisterous personalities, they had all mellowed out considerably, being unable to ignore the infectious behaviour that the blonde would constantly exude.

Naruto slowly calmed down and eventually managed to pull himself back up onto his seat, struggling to suppress another laughing fit, while at the same time watching curiously as Mikoto finished handing Itachi 200 ryo. "What was that for?" asked Sasuke in annoyance and slight curiosity, not wanting to be kept out of the money-receiving loop. If his older brother was getting some money, then he wanted to get some as well.

"What, this?" asked Itachi coolly as he gestured to the money in his hands, taking on a smirk thereafter. "Well, Kaasan and I made a bet. A bet in which I foretold that Naruto-kun would cause Tousan to snap before he turns six years old..." He waved the money in front of himself for all to see, much to the annoyance of the Uchiha Clan head who was the topic of the bet. "... and as you can see, I won that little wager."

Fugaku was mumbling obscenities under his breath as he heard about this bet. His perfectly stoic demeanour and expressionless disposition that he had worked so hard to forge, that he had worked so hard to maintain, had effortlessly been broken in an instant by the might of a newly turned five year old boy, unwillingly causing his outburst. He was marvelling at the fact that it had actually taken this long for it to happen, deciding to try and at least take something positive out of this tragic event.

Naruto's laughter was brought to an abrupt halt as he felt his stomach growl in anticipation of his meal, deciding to quickly eat before it really did get cold. He lifted the lid off the bowl and began salivating at the sight of a surprisingly still steaming-hot bowl of miso ramen, indulging in the smell of its broth. Ramen was his drug, and he would well and truly admit that he was very much addicted to the stuff any day.

He grabbed the pair of chopsticks placed at the bowl's side and snapped them in half, muttering a lightning fast 'Itadakimasu' as he gorged himself on the 'food of the Gods', as he would often like to put it. It wasn't long at all before he had completely inhaled; yes, inhaled the food; and he let out a content sigh as he placed the used chopsticks over his bowl, patting his stomach in delight.

"That was... the best bowl of ramen... I've ever had..." he said softly with half lidded eyes, basking in the deliciousness that was ramen. "Where did you get it, and can we get some more later?" he asked pleadingly, sending a pair of puppy dog eyes at his mother who was watching him with mild amusement.

Mikoto brought her finger to her chin and began tapping in silent contemplation, watching from the corner of her eye as her blonde son became ever more anxious with each passing second, prompting a smirk to reveal itself. "Hmm, I don't know Naruto-kun... how much do you love me?" she said with small giggle, causing the blonde to jump up from his seat and into his mother's lap, planting kisses all over her face.

"Please... Kaachan... I love you... so much," he said in between kisses, jumping backwards off his mom and throwing his arms out wide, stretching them out as far as they could. "This is how much I love you."

"Only **_that_** much?" Mikoto replied in mock-disappointment, causing her blonde son to widen his eyes in shock before attempting to stretch his arms out even further, although failing miserably. He looked like he was about to break something in the process, so she hurriedly stopped him and brought him back to her lap, squeezing him in a tight hug. "Okay Naruto-kun, we can get some more for supper later tonight at the place I got you this ramen. How does that sound?"

She looked down at her lap, only to find that her son was no longer sitting there, but rather bouncing off the walls with uncontainable excitement. "I guess he likes the idea," Mikoto mused out loud, giggling again before standing up and clearing the table of any dirty dishes. 'You deserve to be happy on your birthday Naruto-kun... even if the rest of the village isn't.'

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Okay guys, that was the first chapter to come for a while, please let me know whether it capture your attention this time round. I tried my best to improve upon the previous version, and these first few chapters will seem similar as I said before, but I am chopping and changing things, and change is a gradual thing, so bear with me :D I also don't havea beta, I proof read my chapters myself, so please, all those grammar and punctuation fanatics, do let me know if I make a mistake here or there... I'm only human after all, so I do make mistakes :)<br>**_

_**On another note... wtf is going in the latest Naruto manga chapter?! Now Sasuke is bad again and gunning for the Kage... things are almost close to spiralling out of control in the manga, and although I don't like most of what's being done at the moment, I can't stop myself from reading it every other week xD Well, that's my rant, so I'll check you guys later. Btw, check out SnK manga, it's getting good, and I can't wait for the next chapter =) Any ways, cheers guys...**_


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